amiloride

The definitions used in this glossary of terminology either have been
provided by the authors of the articles, or have been extracted wholly or in
part, or paraphrased from the following sources: The American Medical
Association Encyclopedia of Medicine, Charles B. Clayman, MD, Medical
Editor, Random House, New York, 1989; Biotechnology from A to Z, 2d
Edition, William Bains, Oxford University Press, New York, New York, 2002;
A Dictionary of Genetics, 6th Edition, Robert C. King and William D.
Stansfield, Oxford University Press, New York, New York, 2002; Dorland's
Illustrated Medical Dictionary, 29th and 30th Editions, W. B. Saunders
Company, Philadelphia, 2000, 2003; Genes VII, Benjamin Lewin, Oxford
University Press, New York, New York, 2000; The Gale Encyclopedia of
Genetic Disorders, Volumes I and II, Stacey L. Blachford, Ed., Thomson
Learning, New York, New York, 2002; The Merriam-Webster Dictionary,
Merriam-Webster, Inc., Springfield, Massachusetts, 1997; Molecular
Biology of the Cell, 3rd Edition, Bruce Alberts, et al., Garland
Publishing, 1994; The Random House Dictionary of the English
Language, Unabridged Edition, 1966; Webster's Ninth New Collegiate
Dictionary, 1991.

hydrochloride

DEFINITION:

A salt formed by addition of hydrochloric acid. The term hydrochloride is used primarily in drug names.

potassium-sparing diuretic

DEFINITION:

A class of drugs that block the exchange of sodium for potassium and hydrogen ions in the distal tubule, causing an increase in the excretion of sodium and chloride with a negligible increase in potassium excretion; used primarily as adjuncts to enhance the action and counteract the kaliuretic effects of thiazide and loop diuretics in the treatment of renal disease and in the treatment of hypertension.

inhibits

DEFINITION:

See definition under "inhibit."

reabsorption

DEFINITION:

The act or process of absorbing again, as the selective absorption by the kidneys of substances (glucose, proteins, sodium, etc.) already secreted into the renal tubules, and their return to the circulating blood.

sodium

DEFINITION:

A silver white soft waxy ductile element of the alkali metal group that occurs abundantly in nature in combined form and is very active chemically.

distal

DEFINITION:

Remote; farther from any point of reference; opposed to proximal.

proximal

DEFINITION:

Nearest; closer to any point of reference: opposed to distal .

convoluted

DEFINITION:

Rolled together or coiled.

collecting tubule

DEFINITION:

See under tubule.

thiazide diuretic

DEFINITION:

Any of several drugs used as oral diuretics.

congestive heart failure

DEFINITION:

A clinical syndrome due to heart disease, characterized by breathlessness and abnormal sodium and water retention, often resulting in edema. The congestion may occur in the lungs or peripheral circulation or both, depending on whether the heart failure is right-sided or general.

hypertension

DEFINITION:

prophylaxis

DEFINITION:

The prevention of disease; preventive treatment.

hypokalemia

DEFINITION:

Abnormally low potassium concentration in the blood; it may result from excessive potassium loss by the renal or the gastrointestinal route, from decreased intake, or from transcellular shifts. It may be manifested clinically by neuromuscular disorders ranging from weakness to paralysis, by electrocardiographic abnormalities (depression of the T wave and elevation of the U wave), by renal disease, and by gastrointestinal disorders.

orally

DEFINITION:

Pertaining to the mouth; taken through or applied in the mouth, as an oral medication or an oral thermometer.